The 1990's decade has been marked by a societal technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the extensive consumer and business involvement in the internet over the past two years. As a result of these changes, it seems as if virtually all aspects of human endeavor in the industrialized world requires human-computer interfaces. As a result of these profound changes, there is a need to make computer directed activities accessible to a substantial portion of the world's population which, up to a year or two ago, was computer-illiterate, or at best computer indifferent. In order for the vast computer supported market places to continue and be commercially productive, it will be necessary for a large segment of computer indifferent consumers to be involved in computer interfaces. Thus, the challenge of our technology is to create interfaces to computers which are as close to the real world as possible.
Industry has been working towards this challenge and there is presently a relatively high degree of realism possible in interfaces. This presents a need and an opportunity for even more realistic interaction techniques to better match the visual metaphors used and to achieve a higher level of ease of use for computer systems. We are striving towards the representation of object as photo realistic, three-dimensional (3D) models rather than as the icons and two-dimensional desktops of conventional computer technology.
Some examples of current technology for the creation of virtual three-dimensional workspace display interfaces are copending application Ser. No. 08/813,891 (Attorney Docket No. AT9-96-310), entitled "VIEWER INTERACTIVE OBJECT IN VIRTUAL THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORKSPACE", filed Mar. 7, 1997, and Ser. No. 08/813,848 (Attorney Docket No. AT9-96-311), entitled "VIEWER INTERACTIVE OBJECT WITH MULTIPLE SELECTABLE FACE VIEWS IN VIRTUAL THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORKSPACE", assigned to the Assignee of the present application.
A 3D virtual workspace display environment is also described in an article entitled, "RAPID CONTROLLED MOVEMENT THROUGH A VIRTUAL 3D WORKSPACE", Jock Mackinlay et al., Computer Graphics Publication, Vol. 24, No. 4, August 1990, pp. 171-175, as well as in its related U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,785.
It is clear that current technology in virtual three-dimensional workspaces has provided environments which are user friendly, i.e. make the casual computer user feel more comfortable and at home with the interface. However, researchers in human factors have found downsides to three-dimensional virtual reality displays. Because of the many choices that the user has in wandering down various "streets and roads" or visiting a wide variety of "buildings or stores" or going through many possible "doors", the user may wander through this reality and perhaps get lost from the track or goal he is pursuing.
The present invention addresses this problem, i.e. that of helping the interactive user in three-dimensional graphic environments to stay focused and relate to the objects he is seeking to relate to in the manner he is seeking to relate to such objects even when these objects are arranged in 3D space in what appears to be infinite configurations. The invention facilitates the user's navigation in the 3D space so that the user may easily keep track of his planned routes through this three-dimensional workspace, particularly when the user is narrowing in on a particular object for functional interaction. In the three-dimensional workspace, there are virtually hundreds of objects with which the viewer may potentially interact. Since the workspace resembles the real world, a user cannot interact with every object at every level of navigation. Many of the objects are just too "far away" in virtual distances for the viewer to practically interact with the object. The present invention is directed to a system for helping the user to narrow in on the object he wishes to interact with through a hierarchy of navigation levels through which the interactivity of objects is continually changing.